1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to decorative automotive lighting devices and, more specifically, to a synchronized flashing lighting device.
2. Background of the Invention
It has become popular, particular with young adults, to decorate their automobiles in various ways, including applying decorative trim, attaching fluorescent or phosphorescent materials to surfaces both on the inside passenger compartment as well as on the exterior chassis or body of the automobile, and attaching numerous types of lighting accessories that illuminate, accent and cause various parts of the automobile to flash. Some of the lighting accessory are physically and/or electrically connected to a functional component of the automobile to cause the lighting device to be activated or energized in response to certain functional conditions. Thus, some lighting devices are actuated when the turn signal is activated, when a brake is depressed, in response to radio music or audio amplitude and/or frequency, etc.
Some lighting devices are standalone units that include a control circuit within the passenger compartment that can be operated by the passenger in the vehicle. Such devices typically include an array of lighting elements, such as LEDs, and a circuit within the housing that stores at least one flashing pattern. When turned on, the control circuit issues a flashing signal that is applied to the lighting elements, causing these to flash in a predetermined or random pattern or sequence. The lighting elements can be mounted in an array in any desired manner, such as in an elongate transparent protective tube that is itself mounted on the interior or the exterior of the vehicle. Typically, the lighting elements are mounted so that these are visible by those that are outside of the vehicle. Such lighting devices are intended to decorate or “dress up” the vehicle.
Lighting devices for the undercarriage of an automobile date back at least to 1921. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 1,395,039 to Chmurski discloses an automobile lighting device that utilizes an incandescent lamp 17. A simple on-off switch is used to energize the lamp 17. This patent is of general interest and does not disclose the features of the present invention.
The use of LEDs in connection with vehicle lamps are also known, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,255 to Nishihashi et al. However, this patent only discloses a signal lamp, such as a stop lamp, to be mounted on motor vehicles. A safety light to be mounted on vehicles is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,672 to Dobert. A light source arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,785 to Zhang et al. that also utilizes LEDs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,681 relates to a light source that may be used for vehicle style. The disclosed lighting assembly includes an optical diffuser to provide enhanced styling.
A neon illumination apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,290 to Gonzalez et al. for illuminating a vehicle or other items or areas with a bright glowing light. However, because elongate neon tubes are used the disclosed device cannot provide flashing patterns of the type contemplated by the subject invention, since the entire length of the neon lamp must either be on or off at any given time.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,392,559, issued to Shapre, Jr., discloses an underbody device and adjacent lighting for automobile vehicles. The disclosed lighting system has a remotely controlled lamp or set of lamps mounted on the underside of the vehicle for providing illumination both before the vehicle and under the vehicle. When the vehicle is stationary, the lamps illuminate upon receipt of a predetermined signal from the transmitter. The lamps may also illuminate upon opening a vehicle door to illuminate the path of an exiting passenger. However, the disclosed invention relates more to security lights for illuminating an area adjacent to the vehicle and not so much for decorative purposes. The patent does not disclose or teach the use of an array of elongate arrangements of LEDs that can be energized in predetermined or desired flashing patterns or sequences that can also be viewed within the passenger compartment, preferably contemporaneously.
The present invention displays elongate tubes containing sequential arrangements of LEDs that can be individually activated to provide desired flashing patterns, and these patterns can be selected from the inside of the vehicle compartment. Additionally, the present invention combines the LED tubes with an internal controller that itself provides a display, exhibiting an associated flashing pattern produced or created on the outside of the vehicle.
However, clearly, undercarriage lights are, as a rule, not visible by the driver or by passengers within the vehicle. Therefore, although the lights are visible from the outside, in the prior art people within the automobile cannot see the specific lighting or flashing pattern that is being displayed on the outside. When the control device stores more that one flashing pattern in the prior art, there is normally no way for those within the automobile to know which flashing pattern is being displayed.